China expands ultra-deep drilling to boost domestic energy supply

China is accelerating ultra-deep drilling operations to bolster domestic energy supplies and reduce reliance on imported hydrocarbons. In the Hade-Fuman oilfield, located in the Taklamakan Desert, PetroChina has produced over 26 million tons of oil equivalents from reservoirs situated more than 6,000 meters below the surface.

The Hade-Fuman field has become China’s largest desert oilfield and a primary base for ultra-deep exploration, with 485 ultra-deep wells drilled to date. Recent technical milestones include the successful extraction of a rock core from a depth of 8,080 meters at the Zhentan-1 well, containing samples approximately 500 million years old.

In addition to desert oil production, Sinopec has received government approval for significant shale gas reserves in the Ziyang Dongfeng field in Sichuan province. This development establishes China’s first ultra-deep shale gas field with proven reserves of approximately 235.687 billion cubic meters.